“This is going to be the next big thing. E-bikes are going
to eclipse mountain bikes. It’s going to be bigger than anything you’ve seen, and you guys better work hard at it; otherwise, the car industry will take over, because this is real
transportation.” Such were the impassioned words of mountain bike pioneer and Hall of Fame inductee Gary Fisher as
he spoke at the Interbike Awards Gala held at the Las Vegas
bike show last September. Even though the audience was
made up of people from the bike industry, the bulk of them
had very little knowledge of e-bikes, and Gary’s words—
adamant and bold—made many sit up and take notice. After all,
this wasn’t just the passionate exhortations of a mad man—
well, maybe a little bit. But, it’s not as if the lanky 63-year-old
didn’t have a track
record of seeing tech
trends before the rest
of us. Not only was
Gary among a small group of Northern California cyclists
back in the ’70s who, along with their “klunker” bikes, laid the
foundation for the sport soon to be known as mountain biking, but over the next few decades Gary found himself at the
earliest moments of both the full-suspension and 29er wheel
revolutions. And apparently, he is now bullish on e-bikes.

MAKING HIS CASE

For as long as anyone has known Gary, he has been an
unabashed cycling zealot. When it comes to the arrival of the
electric bike, Gary sees it in the simplest of terms: “It’s all
about getting people excited about bikes, right? That’s the
bottom line.

“I remember what it was like back in the ’90s being onthe defensive when groups like the Sierra Club tried to banmountain bikes from having any trail access. And if we weretalking about introducing e-bikes in the type of atmospherethat existed then, well, I’d probably be on the side of the crit-ics today. But, I believe things have changed drastically sincethen. The mountain bike is seen as a reasonable element inthe outdoors now, and that wasn’t the case back then. I don’tthink having e-bikes on the trails today would sow that kindof conflict, but e-bike riders, just like mountain bikers, haveto remember to be courteous. And, for sure, we need to havesome regulations to help keep things calm. I’m confident thatthose things can easily be worked out. But to me, the realissue isn’t about singletrack conflict; it’s about a worldwidehealth crisis.”Gary was also happy to address the notion that riding ane-bike is akin to “cheating,” as many e-bike critics allege.“Hey, what these people don’t understand is that we’retalking about pedal-assist bikes. You can still sweat like a pigand feel your legs burn on an e-bike. If anyone is really con-cerned about not suffering on an e-bike, I invite them to feelfree and pedal one aroundwithout {the motor on!When I was in Deer Valleylast summer, I saw peoplegetting to places on the mountain that they never would’veeven attempted on a pedal bike. The e-bike invites people tocome along on the ride, do some of the work, and leave themfeeling like Superman on the climbs instead of being stuckin the hurt locker. Whether it’s on the trails or in the streets,America needs more people on bikes, and that will neverhappen if the only image that non-cyclists have of riding issuffering. I’ve seen people come away from riding an e-bikein an absolutely joyous state—that’s what the world needsmore of!

“I know it all hasn’t been figured out yet in America like it
is in Europe, but let’s face it, the e-bike is coming. We can’t
just listen to the critics, many of whom have never even
ridden one. I’ve witnessed the decades-long period of happiness that the mountain bike created, and that can happen
again for many people with e-bikes! Most important, we have
to see them as more than just a tool for recreation and entertainment; these things are the new transportation alternative.
People need to see that e-bikes are not just about having fun.
America has a serious obesity and pollution problem, and the
e-bike is a serious solution. I say bring it on!”

“It’s all about getting people excited about bikes, right? That’s the bottom line.”{ UP FRONT }SEEINGINTO THEFUTURE—AGAINGary Fisher madehistory with hispredictions before;can he do it again?

Gary offers a stern warning to
the bike industry in Las Vegas
- embrace the e-bike or else!